#60 What is eco-anxiety?

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Dr. Daniel Smith

ART OF THE DAY

It’s increasingly common, when you speak with young people or read things they’ve written online, to find folks saying that the threat of climate change makes them reconsider the idea of having children.

“Why bring children into a world that will be ravaged by climate catastrophe?”

It sounds crazy, but this kind of eco-anxiety is on the rise around the world.

The American Psychological Association (APA) defines eco-anxiety as follows:

What is eco-anxiety?

Eco-anxiety refers to a particular type of stress or anxiety that stems from worries about the impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, deforestation, and other environmental challenges.

People experiencing eco-anxiety may feel overwhelmed, hopeless, or fearful about the state of the environment and the potential consequences for themselves, future generations, and other living beings.

How should people deal with eco-anxiety? It’s fair to say that people who spend a lot of time reading and thinking about climate change are more likely to experience eco-anxiety.

These people, who are well-informed about the threat that continued carbon emissions pose to the Earth and human civilization, are likely to reach pessimistic and occasionally radical conclusions about what is to be done to stop climate change.

It makes sense that many of these people will conclude that they need to dedicate their lives to environmental activism in order to stop climate change — and save humanity from itself.

21-year old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg can be seen as a representative figure in this movement, with international media covering her protests in recent years.

You also have more radical groups like Extinction Rebellion in the U.K., which has attracted controversy by holding disruptive protests that block traffic and interfere with the lives of bystanders.

Members of these groups say that they need to use these kind of tactics in order to change public opinion, but it’s clear that such tactics have contributed to a backlash against climate change activism.

Some environmentalists have even taken to throwing soup or paint on classical paintings as a way of attracting attention.

Most of the time these paintings are encased in plastic or glass, and the paint is just hitting the protective cover.

But the strategy is clear: these activists want to bring attention to the urgent threat of climate change by any means necessary.

Frankly, I have a lot of respect for climate activists that undertake these sorts of protests. They may be a bit naive, but they have well-defined beliefs that they are willing to make personal sacrifices for.

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